Adjustable size garment



3,432,862 ADJUSTABLE SIZE GARMENT Harry H. Weiler, Metuchen, NJ. (5 Columbia Drive, 2A, Somerville, NJ. 08876) No Drawing. Filed Mar. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 531,748 U.S. Cl. 2-443 6 Claims Int. Cl. A41d 27/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an adjustable size garment that can be elongated or stretched to a larger size and then chemically stabilized in the larger size without the use of heat.

This invention relates to garments and more particularly to garments which have incorporated therein provisions for elongating or otherwise increasing the size of the garment.

A purpose of the invention is to provide a garment which can be immediately or at some future time increased in size to achieve a proper fit.

A further purpose is to provide a garment which can be increased in size immediately after purchase without any cutting or sewing.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide a garment which can be worn for a period of time at a given size and then can, at some future date, be enlarged permanently to an increased size over the original size without any cutting or sewing.

A further purpose is to provide a garment which can be selectively elongated, or adjusted, or expanded, to provide for various size combinations of length and width without cutting and sewing.

A further purpose is to provide a garment which can be adjusted to provide growth of an individual.

A further purpose is to provide a garment which is made of a fabric with stretch properties, or give, which can be stabilized at some enlarged size.

A further purpose is to selectively use a chemical stabilizer to fix the increased size of a garment.

A further purpose is to provide a garment which can be selectively stabilized at an increased length by means of a heat application.

A further purpose is to eliminate creases or wear marks when a garment is enlarged in size.

Further purposes appear in the specifications and in the claims.

In the prior art, a textile garment has normally been made in a given predetermined size and this size has stayed fixed for the life of the garment. Efforts were made to preserve this given size. In many instances, the garment was treated to prevent shrinking after washing, so that the garment did not become smaller. These prior art processes included sanforizing and other preshrinking procedures. To increase the size of the garment from its given size, as for instance, where it was desirable to extend the length of the legs in trousers, it has been necessary to lower the trouser cuff or otherwise add additional material to the garment. In some instances, special hems have been provided where the retaining threads of the hems can be withdrawn so that the hem is extended so the garment can achieve a new length. In other instances, the garments have been made adjustable by doubling back on the fabric so that at some future time the fabric could be released and a particular portion of the garment, such as the trouser leg or the skirt, could be elongated. These means for elongating, or increasing, the size of the garment were all mechanical and involved cutting and sewing.

By means of the present invention, no cutting, sewing, or patching is necessary for elongating or enlarging a niteci States Patent 0 ice garment. The ability of the garment to permanently enlarge is built into the garment and the garment can be adjusted, or lengthened, whenever desirable. I have discovered that, by the use of a particular fabric in the manufacture of the garment .and the subsequent treatment of the garment itself, the garment can be enlarged at any future period.

For instance, a pair of boys trousers can be manufactured at a given trouser leg length to fit the boy at the time of purchase. As the boy grows and his legs increase in length to a point where the trouser legs are too short for correct appearance, the trousers are subjected to a procedure as described herein, and the trouser legs elongated to correspond to the boys growth. The invention can also be utilized to provide various size combinations in a given garment at the time of purchase where necessary.

In my invention, I utilize a fabric in a garment wherein the fabric is of a type which has stretch or give properties.

The yarn in the fabric may be cotton or other cellulosic fibers, a blend of cotton or other cellulosic fibers and synthetic fibers, or a stretch fabric of a purely synthetic yarn wherein the yarn or the fabric itself has been bulked, texturized or shrunk by any well-known commercial process. Broadly, however, the concept can be applied to any fabric which can be stretched or elongated and which is suitable to the garment involved from the standpoint of wear.

In my invention, I first take such a of such a fabric and stretch it to a desired new length, dimension, or size. I then stabilize the garment permanently at this dimension by suitable means. Such means includes the application, on one hand, of a chemical stabilizer, or, in the alternative, where suitable, the application of heat, as for instance, by ironing at an elevated temperature. In some instances I may apply the heat by means of a heated enclosure, such as a household oven.

Considering the invention in detail, my concept may apply to garments such as mens, boys, womens, and girls slacks, skirts, jackets, coveralls, or other like garments. The invention is particularly applicable to trouser legs and jacket arms and skirt lengths. The invention is also applicable to babies playsuits and the like, and especially babies and childrens hats.

The garments are cut and sewn in the normal manner. Desirably, however, where a fabric is used that only gives in one direction, the garment should be so cut as to place the give of the fabric in the direction of future enlargement. Additionally, the stitching should desirably be of a type which will permit a give in the seams to allow for the changing of dimensions in the garment, for instance, a relatively loose or relaxed stitch. This may be accomplished by a tension setting on the sewing machine.

Of great importance in the invention is the particular fabric which is used in the garment. The fabric must be of a type which has an inherent ability to stretch or give. Such fabrics generally fall into the categories of (1) a cotton fabric or a fabric with cellulosic content which has been slack-mercerized, including blends of such fibers; (2) fabrics composed of a blend of a cotton or other cellulosic fibers with other fibers, including synthetic fibers that may or may not withstand slack-mercerization, and (3) fabrics composed of synthetic fibers such as polymers which have been bulked, texturized, or shrunk, in yarn or fabric form to impart a stretch or give characteristic to the fabric. This last category (3) can include blends of non-synthetics, and natural fibers alone or blended with synthetic fibers.

The garments, when made in the manner described above, are manufactured in accordance with the usual and accepted size specifications. The user or consumer will buy a garment of the normally required size to fit garment composed the user at the time of purchase. At any time during the life of the garment, the garment can be permanently enlarged. This enlarge-ment is accomplished by stretching the garment in the desired direction of elongation to the desired new size, and then stabilizing the fabric by either chemical and/or heat means.

For example, in the case of a pair of trousers, a trouser length from crotch to cult of 22% length can be elongated to a 24" length. Such elongation is rendered permanent in either of two alternate manners.

In the case where the trousers are made of a cotton fabric or a cellulosic fabric, or a blend of cellulosic fibers with other fibers, such as enumerated in categories (1) and (2) above, the garment is stabilized by chemical means. The trousers are treated with a chemical stabilizing solution, an example of which is a reactive acrylic latex of a type manufactured by the B. F. Goodrich Chemical Company and known by the trade name Hycar 2671. These are copolymers containing reactive groups which enable them to be subsequently cross-linked. A Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. latex product, known as Chemigum Latex 550, is also suitable for a stabilizing agent. This is a carboxylic-modified butadiene/acrylonitrile latex. Additionally, chemical stabilizers produced by the Rohm & Haas C0. in the form of a group of acrylic latices under the trade name Rhoplex which will also crosslink under the influence of an acid catalyst and which are characterized as being reactive acrylic polymers are also suitable as stabilizers.

The above are examples of types of polymeric material that may be used for stabilizing the stretched-out, slackmercerized cotton or cotton-polyester blend fabrics. However, it should be understood that the chemical stabilizer used in the invention is not limited to the above clude cross-linkable rubber-like, polymeric material such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, polyurethanes, and the like.

The solution is placed in a bowl large enough to accommodate the garment to be treated. The clean, dry garment is placed in the solution, and the solution is worked into the garment. The garment is then squeezed gently to remove excess water and hung up to dry. The garment is then stretched to the new desired size and ironed with a household iron at a normal ironing temperature. Additional heat is then applied to the garment. This can be accomplished by baking in a common household oven at 325 F. for three minutes. The garment should be allowed to cool and then desirably laundered before it is worn.

In the case where the trousers are made of a fabric in the category of (2) or (3) above, the permanent elongation of the garment may in some instances be effected without the use of a chemical, and with heat alone. In the case of (3) above, it generally is not necessary to apply a chemical stabilizer but heat alone can accomplish permanent stabilization at an extended size. In this instance, the garment is desirably dampened or even wetted thoroughly before stretching is accomplished. While in a stretched condition, the garment is ironed with an iron set at an elevated temperature normally used for the fabric in the garment. The garment will then be permanently fixed at a new enlarged size.

Garments prepared and enlarged in the above manner can be subsequently Worn, washed, and handled in the same manner as any other garment. Upon washing, there may be a very slight amount of shrink-back over the initial elongated length, but the extra length imparted to the garment will be substantially the same. For instance, if 2 are added to the length, in the shrink-back, /2" may be lost, for a net gain of 1 /2" in length. Generally, the more thoroughly the garment is ironed at the time of stabilization, the less the shrink-back.

. There is also a slight amount of shrink-backin the chem- 1cal stabilization when it is used.

EXAMPLE 1 A pair of girls slacks, made of an all-cotton slack mercerized fabric cut so as to impart the stretch factor in the direction of leg length, was subjected to the process of this invention. Before treatment, the original leg length of the slacks was 22%". The slacks were chemically treated as described above with Hycar 2671 chemical solution as described above and stabilized at 24". After five washings and ironings, the leg length was measured at 23%".

EXAMPLE 2 A trouser of a fabric composed of 50% cotton and 50% polyester, wherein the fabric was previously slackmercerized and subjected to a no-iron finish, with stretch running in a length-wise direction, was subjected to the process of the invention. The garment was thoroughly wetted. The garment had an in-seam length of 20". The garment was then stretched to a 22" length and ironed with a steam iron at a temperature approximately 212 F. The garment was washed and dried in a home dryer. The garment was measured at a length of 21 /2". The garment was subsequently washed four more times and dried each time. The garment remained at the length of 21 /2.

EXAMPLE 3 A garment of Example 2 with a 20" in-seam was treated as set forth in Example 2 and was stretched to 21 /2 and washed through five washes and dryings. The garment maintained a 21" length.

EXAMPLES 4 AND 5 Examples 2 and 3 were performed on like garments treated with Hycar chemical solution as described above. Similar results as those stated in Examples 2 and 3 were achieved.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The process of enlarging a garment comprising:

(a) forming the garment into a given first size from a fabric having stretch properties, by cutting the fabric and sewing the cut fabric into a garment,

(b) stretching the garment into a second size larger than the first size, and

(c) stabilizing the stretched garment at the second size by applying a chemical stabilizer and curing said stabilizer without the application of heat and said treatment with said chemical stabilizer and curing step being effected without modification of the molecular structure of the fiber of the garment fabric.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the fabric is composed of a cellulosic fiber.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the chemical stabilizer is a cross-linkable acrylic resin.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein the fabric is composed of a synthetic fiber.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the chemical stabilizer is a cross-linkable rubberlike, polymeric material.

6. The process described in claim 1 wherein the fabric is composed of a blend of cellulosic fibers and non-cellulosic synthetic fibers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,868,754 1/ 1959 Eilbeck et al. 2,950,553 8/1960 Hurwitz 2243 X 2,974,432 3/ 1961 Warnock et al 2243 X 3,096,524 7/1963 Mizell 2243 X 3,268,915 8/ 1966 Warnock et a] 2243 3,286,277 11/1966 Weiss 2243 X ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner. 

